BBST® courses
BBST® courses is a Romania-based, online asynchronous software testing training platform operated by Altom Consulting SRL, serving individual testers and corporate teams with courses, specializations and workshops built on academic research and proprietary frameworks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCluj-Napoca, Romania
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What BBST® courses does
BBST® courses is an online software testing training business operated by Altom Consulting SRL, a privately held Romanian company headquartered in Cluj-Napoca. The platform delivers a portfolio of asynchronous courses — Foundations, Bug Advocacy, Test Design, and Domain Testing — alongside specializations, a State Model Based Testing workshop, and a corporate Learning Program for Companies, all hosted on the Canvas e-learning platform. The curriculum is built on academic research, including Anderson-Krathwohl's revision of Bloom's taxonomy, and proprietary frameworks such as the RIMGEN bug advocacy method, with courses created by Cem Kaner and Rebecca Fiedler and continuously developed since 2005.
The company serves two primary customer segments: individual software testing professionals seeking rigorous, scientifically grounded training, and corporate teams that purchase plans with public or private class formats, flexible seat allocation, discounted pricing and team performance insights. Revenue is generated through one-time individual course registrations and corporate subscriptions, supplemented by an affiliate program offering 10-20% commissions. Over 1,100 professionals have completed at least one BBST® course worldwide, and the program is taught by instructors with 10-30 years of industry experience. Distribution is self-serve via bbst.courses, with an official reseller (Oose), an affiliate channel, and content marketing through blog, email newsletter, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Vimeo.
BBST® courses firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BBST® courses
- Legal name
- Altom Consulting SRL
- Website
- https://bbst.courses
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BBST® courses is a Romania-based, online asynchronous software testing training platform operated by Altom Consulting SRL, serving individual testers and corporate teams with courses, specializations and workshops built on academic research and proprietary frameworks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BBST® courses industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Software Testing Training
- NAICS
- Computer Training (61142), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consultative Selling & Discovery (EDABABAC)
Keywords
Where BBST® courses is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cluj-Napoca
- HQ country
- Romania
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BBST® courses business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Course Registration Fees: Professionals pay to register for individual BBST® courses (Foundations, Bug Advocacy, Test Design, Domain Testing) and specializations. Registration is self-serve via the website, with new classes opening weekly.
- Corporate Learning Program (Learning Programs for Companies): Companies purchase plans to build testing capability across teams. Plans include public or private classes, flexible seat allocation, discounted pricing, included retakes, and team performance insights. Companies are the Client; individual participants are Students.
- Affiliate Referrals: Affiliates earn 10%, 15%, or 20% commission on sales made through their unique affiliate links. Commission is paid after the course starts and no refund is available for the student.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Pricing is not publicly listed on the website. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
BBST® courses product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BBST® courses delivers asynchronous online Black Box Software Testing training through four core courses (Foundations, Bug Advocacy, Test Design, and Domain Testing), bundled specializations, an advanced State Model Based Testing workshop, and a dedicated corporate Learning Program for Companies. Courses are delivered via the Canvas e-learning platform with peer reviews, instructor feedback, and flexible weekly deadlines.
Product overview
BBST® courses offers a series of Black Box Software Testing online courses developed by Cem Kaner and Rebecca Fiedler. The portfolio includes four core courses (Foundations, Bug Advocacy, Test Design, and Domain Testing) that can be taken individually or bundled into three specializations (Professional Software Testing, Effective Bug Investigation & Reporting, and Test Strategy & Design). An Introduction to State Model Based Testing Workshop provides advanced automation training. The BBST® Learning Program for Companies enables organizations to deliver training to teams with public or private class options. All courses are delivered asynchronously online through the Canvas e-learning platform with instructor feedback and peer reviews.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BBST® Foundations The foundational BBST® course providing a solid understanding of real-world testing activities and critical challenges in the field. It is a prerequisite for Bug Advocacy and Test Design courses.
- BBST® Bug Advocacy Course teaching technical skills in effective bug reporting, helping testers develop skills to get the right bugs fixed through improved communication and advocacy.
- BBST® Test Design Course teaching how to design powerful tests that lead to discovery of important bugs, covering both exploratory testing and test automation approaches.
- BBST® Domain Testing Advanced course on risk-based approach to boundary testing and equivalence class analysis. Requires completion of Test Design course as prerequisite.
- BBST® Professional Software Testing Specialization A specialization bundle of 3 courses designed to gain a diverse set of skills to excel in all day-to-day testing activities.
- BBST® Effective Bug Investigation & Reporting Specialization A specialization bundle of 2 courses focused on gaining advanced skills in bug advocacy and other bug-related activities.
- BBST® Test Strategy & Design Specialization A specialization bundle of 2 courses developing skills to choose the right testing techniques in any working context.
- Introduction to State Model Based Testing Workshop Workshop teaching State Model Based Testing, an automation technique that uses models to generate test cases from state transitions.
- BBST® Learning Program for Companies Corporate training program enabling companies to build testing capability across teams with public or private classes, flexible participant allocation, discounted pricing, and included retakes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,100 professionals have completed BBST® courses worldwide.
Companies that use BBST® courses
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BBST® courses technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
BBST® courses partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- OoseminorOose is listed as an official BBST® partner, authorized to promote and resell BBST® courses to students and professionals.
- Altom Consulting SRLcoreAltom Consulting SRL is the company that operates the BBST® courses website (bbst.courses) and delivers the courses. It is the Romanian entity (registered in Cluj-Napoca) that owns the BBST® trademark and administers the affiliate program.
- Kaner, Fiedler & Associates, LLCcoreFounded by Cem Kaner and Rebecca Fiedler (co-creators of BBST®). They co-developed the BBST® series originally for the National Science Foundation. Altom Consulting collaborates with them to deliver BBST® courses, with Altom staff (e.g., Alexandra Casapu) teaching courses alongside Cem Kaner.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BBST® courses competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Test Automation University (Applitools): Free online testing education platform operated by Applitools, offering courses in test automation, visual testing, and related disciplines. Direct competing offering to BBST® in the online software testing education space, differentiated by being free and backed by a commercial testing tool vendor.
- Ministry of Testing: Global community and training provider for software testers, offering courses, events (TestBash), and certifications. Most direct peer to BBST® — both serve the same audience of professional software testers seeking skill development, though Ministry of Testing operates more as a community hub and content platform than a single-brand course series.
- iSQI (International Software Quality Institute): International certification body for software quality and testing professionals, offering credentials aligned with ISTQB and other standards. Comparable to BBST® in audience (software testers, QA professionals) but operating in the certification/administrative track rather than deep skill training.
- ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board): Global certification body for software testing professionals, offering the CTFL (Certified Tester Foundation Level) and other certifications. Adjacent to BBST®'s space — both serve software testers seeking credentials, though ISTQB is a standards/certification body rather than a course provider.
Broad incumbents
- Coursera: Major online learning platform offering university-partnered and industry courses, including software testing specializations. Comparable to BBST® in delivering online technical training to professionals, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
- Udemy: Global online learning marketplace with thousands of software testing courses at low price points. Comparable to BBST® as an online course delivery channel for testing content, but operating as a broad marketplace rather than a specialized, premium training brand.
- Applitools: Visual AI testing platform that also operates Test Automation University. Comparable to BBST® in targeting software testing professionals with educational content, but operates as a broader commercial testing tools vendor with a free education arm rather than a dedicated training brand.
- Pluralsight: Enterprise-focused tech skills platform offering courses on software testing, development, and IT operations. Comparable to BBST® in targeting corporate technology training buyers, but with a much broader catalogue and enterprise SaaS model.
Emerging players
- The Test Tribe: Community and learning platform for software testers, particularly strong in India. Comparable to BBST® in serving software testing professionals with educational content and community, though currently smaller and more community-focused than deep-skill training.
- Software Testing Help: Long-running online education resource for software testers, offering tutorials, courses, and career guidance. Comparable to BBST® in delivering software testing education online, but more consumer-focused and free-content-driven rather than premium academically-rigorous training.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BBST® courses social profiles
Digital presenceBBST® courses financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BBST® courses leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
BBST® courses funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BBST® courses M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BBST® courses
What does BBST® courses do?
BBST® courses delivers asynchronous online Black Box Software Testing training through four core courses (Foundations, Bug Advocacy, Test Design, and Domain Testing), bundled specializations, an advanced State Model Based Testing workshop, and a dedicated corporate Learning Program for Companies. Courses are delivered via the Canvas e-learning platform with peer reviews, instructor feedback, and flexible weekly deadlines.
Is BBST® courses a public or private company?
BBST® courses is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BBST® courses founded?
BBST® courses was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BBST® courses based?
BBST® courses is headquartered in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in the Europe region.
How does BBST® courses make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Course Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are corporate Learning Program (Learning Programs for Companies) and affiliate Referrals.
Who are BBST® courses's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Test Automation University (Applitools), Ministry of Testing, iSQI (International Software Quality Institute) and ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board). Broad incumbents are Coursera, Udemy, Applitools and Pluralsight. Emerging players are The Test Tribe and Software Testing Help.
Does BBST® courses have an API?
No public API is recorded for BBST® courses.
What industry is BBST® courses in?
BBST® courses's product category is Software Testing Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABABAC, Consultative Selling & Discovery. Its NAICS code is 61142 and its SIC code is 8200.